Biedronka and Smyk pull Halloween knife and blood props after school stabbings in Poland
Biedronka and Smyk have withdrawn Halloween accessories imitating knives, cleavers and sickles, linking the decision to a run of knife attacks in Polish schools, one of which killed a school employee.
Retailers pull Halloween props
Biedronka and Smyk have withdrawn Halloween accessories that imitate dangerous tools or carry drastic elements, Polskie Radio RDC reported on 12 October. The products include plastic knives, sickles and cleavers, grim masks and costumes styled as bloodied clothing. Smyk removed the items from its stationary stores and its online shop, while Biedronka withdrew selected products that 'may evoke unintended associations'. Smyk also said its seasonal offer will now focus on gentler, fairy-tale themes. RDC had asked several large chains, including Dealz, whether they would pull similar items, but the sources do not confirm a decision by Dealz.
Smyk's press office explained the decision as follows.
With full social responsibility and out of respect for the emotions of parents and children, the management board decided to withdraw from sale all Halloween accessories featuring motifs that imitate dangerous tools and drastic elements, both in the stationary network and in the online shop.
Knife attacks behind the decision
The retailers cited a run of knife attacks in Polish schools, most of them in Mazovia. The first incident occurred on 7 October at Zespół Szkół Zawodowych nr 4 in Ostrołęka, where a 19-year-old suspect wounded several people. Super Express put the number of wounded at nine. On 8 October, a 15-year-old former pupil attacked a primary school in Leszczydół-Nowiny, a village in Wyszków county, and wounded three people. One of them, a 37-year-old woman who worked at the school, died of her injuries.
Super Express also reported an attack on 10 October at a post-secondary school on Mińska Street in Warsaw, where a 21-year-old female student attacked three young women with a knife. One of the victims required hospitalization. Polsat News reported that further detentions of teenagers followed the Wyszków attack.
- 19-year-old suspect wounds several people at a school in Ostrołęka, nine according to Super Express
- 15-year-old former pupil wounds three people at a primary school in Leszczydół-Nowiny, one of them a 37-year-old woman school employee who dies
- 21-year-old female student attacks three young women with a knife at a post-secondary school in Warsaw
- Biedronka and Smyk withdraw Halloween accessories imitating dangerous tools
Statements from the chains
Biedronka told RDC that, out of concern for the wellbeing of children and young people, it was withdrawing products that 'may evoke unintended associations'. Its statement said the company wanted seasonal ranges to promote positive emotions and shared, cheerful fun. Smyk said the wellbeing of children and their families is a priority for the company. Both chains described the Halloween products as inappropriate in the current circumstances, given that the offer is aimed at families.
Why the chains acted
Super Express described the withdrawals as a direct response to the cumulative violence in Mazovia rather than to a single incident. It said the chains judged that offering gadgets promoting violence was inappropriate while the attacks were still fresh. The sources do not say when the products were removed from shelves or whether other retailers have followed. The three incidents cited in the coverage all took place within a few days of one another, between 7 and 10 October.
